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Fantasy Football tips and advice: Gameweek 26 transfers, selections and captain choices

By Tom Carnduff

Football

Sun February 20, 2022 · 3y ago

Tom Carnduff delivers his fantasy football tips and advice for Gameweek 26 with transfers and captaincy choices discussed.

Who has the best fixtures in Gameweek 26?

The good news for fantasy football players is that EIGHT Premier League teams will have a double gameweek due to rescheduled fixtures.

Who have a double gameweek in Gameweek 26?

Arsenal
Burnley
Crystal Palace
Leeds
Liverpool
Tottenham
Watford
Wolves

All eyes will be on LIVERPOOL given that they face Norwich at home on Saturday followed by another home contest against Leeds on Wednesday.

They are two opponents with struggling defences and the strength of the Reds' attack should mean plenty of points on offer for those who back the right players.

Another team of interest is ARSENAL who also have two games. They take on Brentford and then Wolves.

The Gunners remain in the battle for the top-four and a number of players catch the eye when it comes to selection. We can expect them to get a few goals across the gameweek.

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What are the best transfers to make for Gameweek 26?

Based on statistics, form and fixtures, we pick out three players worth considering for Gameweek 26.

Martin Ødegaard

Position: MID
FPL price: £5.5m
Sky price: £8.3m

It's wise to target Arsenal assets given their double gameweek fixtures and the one player of interest is Martin Ødegaard. His selection rate and price is cheaper than other midfielders in the Gunners' squad.

Many will look at Bukayo Saka and that is clear in FPL selection rates - 15.3% to 4.0% - but Ødegaard can deliver those who take the gamble on him.

Despite a couple of quiet weeks - also counting in those where Arsenal didn't play - he was a consistent points scorer in the fixtures prior.

From Gameweek 14 to 19, Ødegaard returned 7+ points in five of those six fixtures. In total, he returned 41 points across that period; Saka saw 37 with 16 of those coming in one game.

Joel Matip

Position: DEF
FPL price: £4.9m
Sky price: £8.4m

We discussed bringing in Virgil van Dijk a couple of weeks ago but there is a case for looking at centre-back partner Joel Matip given the double gameweek.

There is the potential for two clean sheets given the struggling teams they are facing but set-pieces could again prove successful for the Reds.

They remain the Premier League's best side at score from these situations while Leeds are consistently one of the worst. Only Leicester and Palace have conceded more from free-kicks and corners - Liverpool scored against both in recent games.

Matip remains better at winning aerial duels than van Dijk - 4.0 to 3.5 per 90 - while he also enjoys more shots per game - 1.2 to 1.0.

Aaron Ramsdale

Position: GK
FPL price: £5.1m
Sky price: £6.8m

We've already discussed Arsenal's gameweek and it's also worth targeting the defensive side of things for Mikel Arteta's side.

Aaron Ramsdale is one of the top performing fantasy football goalkeepers this season and finds himself at a cheaper price than many others towards the top.

Brentford and Wolves sit outside the top-eight for xGF in the Premier League while both sit in the bottom-seven for actual goals scored.

It's worth checking the Gameweek 27 fixtures and Arsenal aren't involved then but Ramsdale is definitely a long-term option given their remaining games - the Gunners don't face anyone above 3 on FPL's Fixture Difficulty Rating.

Who is the best captain for Gameweek 26?

The obvious choices are Liverpool targets this week given their involvement in the double gameweek.

Many will be looking at MOHAMED SALAH and it's hard to disagree given the fact that goals are expected against weak defences.

He's back and should start in both games as Jurgen Klopp's men aim to close the gap on Manchester City at the top.

This section did mention Diogo Jota prior to that injury picked up in the win over Inter. With the forward now a doubt, ROBERTO FIRMINO - who scored at the San Siro - may prove to be a good differential.

One player who should start both games and can deliver is TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD.

There is the potential for clean sheets while his presence at set-pieces adds to the possibility of attacking returns - that's alongside his efforts from open play.